I don’t know exactly what I expected from Danny Ainge as a CSNNE color commentator Wednesday night, but I did not expect so much honesty. The Boston Celtics’ president of basketball operations obviously knows his team’s strengths and weaknesses as well as anybody, and he did not shy away from describing them.

Before the first quarter ended, he had pointed out a “terrible” defensive breakdown between Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo, grumbling that “all it takes is one guy to screw up your assignment and give up an easy layup.” Don’t worry about Ainge disliking either of his two guards – he also offered plenty of praise – but he levied criticism when his players deserved it.

A few notes from Ainge’s highly interesting 2013-14 announcing debut, which ended with Boston falling apart down the stretch of a 105-97 loss to the Atlanta Hawks:

“Shane Battier” Sullinger?

During the first quarter, Paul Millsap flashed to the middle, received a pass, and finished a layup while getting fouled by Sullinger. The Celtics power forward did not provide the worst resistance ever, raising his hands in an attempt to stay straight up. He obviously wanted to contest the shot without fouling, a tactic a lot of centers – and specifically Indiana Pacers big Roy Hibbert – have used to their advantage.

“He’s trying to do the Roy Hibbert verticality, but he doesn’t have that type of length,” Ainge said, adding that he would like Boston’s undersized big men to try drawing more charges, like Miami Heat forward Shane Battier.

Though Ainge brought up the former Duke star, another example for Sullinger would be Glen Davis. The former Celtics big man – like Sullinger, not tall, long or in great shape – turned himself into a valuable defender, largely because he got really good at sliding his feet across the lane and falling down at the first sign of contact. Sullinger does some nice things defensively, but he’s also struggled to stop taller players. Taking more charges would be helpful.

Let it fly

The game’s first shot came from Rajon Rondo, who missed a 25-foot triple. One might think the Celtics would want to discourage such an attempt; after a hot start from behind the arc, Rondo’s hitting just 28.9 percent for the season.

But Ainge liked the look. Later in the game, he repeated several times that he wants Rondo to keep shooting, noting that the guard seems more confident in his jumper now. The Celtics know Rondo’s threes aren’t efficient shots now, but they trust the work he has put in and hope that one day in the future, he will be able to stretch defenses like never before.

The same goes for Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger. Both have had moments shooting, but not consistently enough to make them real threats. The Celtics understand the current struggles, but believe they will make the organization stronger in the future.

Danny Ainge on Sullinger/Olynyk 3s: "I really believe by next year their percentages are going to be anywhere up in the mid-30s or higher."

During one Sullinger post-up in the second half, Avery Bradley spotted up on the left wing – behind the arc – caught a pass, and drilled a three. Ainge noted something Bradley shared earlier this season: the Celtics have encouraged him to turn his elbow jumpers into threes. He’s finally trying shots from above-the-break, and the results have been very promising. Not only is he attempting more above-the-break threes than ever (21 tries over 10 games since the All-Star break), but he has shown the ability to make them (57.1 percent since the break, though the sample size is admittedly very small).

If he can continue extending his range, he could turn a troubling shot profile into a much better one. That would be a major improvement to his offensive game.

Another improvement for Bradley

When Bradley got blocked from behind on a fast break, Ainge reacted with obvious disappointment.

“He doesn’t even know (that Jeff Teague is behind him),” Ainge said. “I mean, Teague’s a great athlete. (Bradley) should be using the other side of the (backboard). … He was just out on a Sunday stroll. He really needs to finish better.”

The last line was most important. Bradley really needs to finish better. Despite possessing strength and power, the guard hardly ever gets to the rim and he rarely draws fouls. Partly, that can be attributed to a lack of ball-handling ability. Bradley just doesn’t own a wealth of moves like the best guards do; his off-the-dribble game remains very much in the developmental stage.

But in the second quarter, he made a great move. He got half a step on DeMarre Carroll, used his shoulder to hold off the defender, slowed down a bit to create separation, and then powered into Elton Brand to draw a foul. The nice move prompted Chris Herren, who also provided color commentary, to remark that Bradley needs to improve that part of his game.

“And he is,” Ainge said. “He has started putting that in his game lately. Now he needs to change directions – go that same way and change direction, (use) a secondary move as he goes to the hole.”

Later, Bradley, who finished with 24 points, used dribble crossovers to free himself for a couple of jumpers. Ainge liked that very much. The young guard’s progressing.

Green “needs help”

Ainge has said this before, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise – he does not believe Jeff Green will ever become the No. 1 option for a good team, but does believe the forward can become a valuable contributor on a championship contender.

“Jeff needs help,” Ainge said, meaning Green performs better as a complementary piece surrounded by star talent. We have evidence that says he does. He was very good toward the end of last season, when Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett helped him focus on what he does best: spot-up threes and transition layups.

But Ainge’s most interesting comment about Green referred to the team encouraging him to try new things.

“We've tried to expand Jeff's game, have him take shots with more efficiency, shoot more threes off the dribble, which aren't as high percentage as he's used to,” Ainge said “So, his percentages have gone down a little bit, but we like that he's taking those shots.”

For someone who has shaken his head about Green’s shot selection, especially when he tries jumpers off the dribble, it’s neat to know the Celtics want him to focus partially on his weaknesses. The forward hasn’t shot better than 39.4 percent in a month since December, but he now owns an excuse for some of the troubling inaccuracy.

A few weeks ago, owner Wyc Grousbeck said “there could be some fireworks” in June, hinting that the Celtics could make a big trade or two near the NBA Draft. Ainge initially supported his boss’s stance but backtracked at least a little.